ITM is Canada's leading institute for Education, Training & Gatherings in Health & Spirituality.

ITM hosts a number of events, ceremonies, conferences, seminars and workshops throughout the year. These gatherings are aimed at bringing the teachings and wisdom of local and international teachers to the Toronto community and providing a forum for the exploration of themes related to health and spirituality. If you are interested in receiving updates, please send us an email.

ITM is dedicated to sharing the wisdom of the world's traditional medicines and spiritual practices and to making the teachings and ceremonies accessible to everyone. For this reason, regardless of the suggested donation and fees, a "pay what you can" policy is in place for all events and gatherings.

Please call or email to reserve your spot for all of the listed events/gatherings/workshops.

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PLEASE GATHER WITH US TO CELEBRATE THE 4th YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE SACRED FIRE

A CEREMONY OF THANKSGIVING AND VISION FOR THE YEAR AHEAD with DIANE LONGBOAT, MOHAWK ELDER

SUNDAY NOVEMBER 16th, 2008 - at the Sacred Fire - Six Nations
1- 5pm

A CEREMONY OF THANKSGIVING & VISION FOR THE YEAR AHEAD
Offerings to bring to the Ceremony: Tobacco, 4 meters of cloth in any of these colours: red, royal blue, turquoise, green, brown, yellow, black or white, and 5 Meters of ribbon in each of the following colours: red, orange, yellow, green, light blue, dark blue & purple. Bring your own snacks/lunch. Please also bring a contribution for the continuation of the Sacred Fire & its activities ($45 suggested or a gift from the heart).

Please call or email Vivi to confirm your attendance. Spaces are limited in the lodge. (905)765-6141 vivi1122@hotmail.com

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Shaking Medicine & Mysteries of Spirit ~ 2 Year Training Program
For the first time in North America, a two-year training program with visionary Bradford Keeney Ph.D., one of the world’s foremost experts and practitioners of Shamanism, is taking place.

This two-year certificate program is a rare opportunity to work closely with Bradford and to learn humanity’s oldest way of transforming the human body, mind, heart and soul –‘Shaking Medicine.’

The aim of this work is to bring students into relationship with the creative guidance of spirit through the tools and techniques Bradford has developed through decades of training with traditional healers, shamans and Medicine people.

Shamanic Conversation will be used to liberate students from stuck habits of thought and action that separate us from a spirit-filled life. Here, the soulful unconscious is called forth, encouraging the liberation of spirited expression.

The ecstatic shamanic traditions of the world do not rely upon understandings to teach their transformative ways. Instead, you become spiritually awakened through direct encounters with spirit – the uplifting vibrations of consecrated shaking medicine. This shamanic teaching aims to throw you into God’s pot so that over time you can become fully cooked by God.

Shaking Medicine is suited to individuals who work in the healing professions; therapists and counselors who want to take their work with clients to a deeper level and artists and individuals who desire to develop a profound and personal relationship to the sacred.

Bradford Keeney, Ph.D., has been called an

all-American shaman, the Marco Polo of psychology, and an anthropologist of the spirit

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THIS EXTRAORDINARY OPPORTUNITY, PLEASE EMAIL US FOR A BROCHURE: info@instituteoftraditionalmedicine.com . Spaces very limited.

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A unique style of acupuncture that blends Classical TCM Acupuncture theory & treatment, musculoskeletal approaches & Japanese protocols for treating acute & chronic healthcare disorders.

Saturday Nov 1 & Sunday Nov 2 – 10am-6pm

Approved for 52 PDA's with the NCCAOM- 14 PDA's per weekend

Incorporating TCM diagnosis, postural assessment, palpation and myofascial chains, practitioners learn an effective and profound approach to diagnosis and treatment planning for maximum patient benefit.

An ‘Extraordinary’ Approach to Acupuncture, this course focuses on Hara assessment and reflex points, a review of the Acupuncture Circuits and introduction to Anterior, Posterior and Lateral Treatments. Acupuncture treatments in this style address the root causes and the physical manifestions, taking into account the myofascial and meridian perspectives. The aim of treatment is to create a balance within both the musculoskeletal and energetic meridian systems to promote healing and also maintain wellness and well-being.

Course incorporates:
-Classical TCM
-Japanese Hara Diagnosis
-Sotai & the circuit energy of the Tai Yang, Yang Ming and Shao Yang meridian circuits
-Effective approaches to acute or chronic diseases & muscular holding patterns

Noel Wright, MSc, L. AC,NCCAOM graduate of the Tri-State College of Acupuncture, New York City has over 12 years of clinical and academic experience. She is currently the principal acupuncturist in a research project for the study of acupuncture and the treatment of fatigue in patients with Multiple Sclerosis.

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The Spirituality Origins of Dance ~ Rhythmic Medicine Classes

Join us for a series of rhythmic medicine dance/movement classes, as we experience the most primal motivation to move, shake dance as ways to heal ourselves reconnect with spirit.

Anthony Guerra leads us through the origins of dance movement the African contribution to many of today's dance forms, while offering us an opportunity to experience Prime Dance ~ expressing our true nature through movement dance.

Open to everyone.

Prime Dance: As form, feeling meaning become one, a person's identity is expressed in the way he or she moves
or dances. Thus, dancing reveals one's character.

Anthony Guerra brings over 15 years of experience as a professional dancer, actor, choreographer. His profound
knowledge of dance has made him highly sought after by many educational institutions (including York University),
corporations, Toronto public private schools. His passion to edutain (simultaneously educate entertain)
people on the origins the relationships of past, present future cultures today's widely accepted dance forms movements to Black heritage rhythms. His research experience into the origins of dance have helped Anthony uncover the healing spiritual aspects of dance at its most primal essence.

5 week Course in Rhythmic Medicine Dance/Movement Classes begins Friday Oct. 31, 7pm

$80 total - for 5 week course/workshop.

Call to register.

A Night of Sacred Objects & the Stories that give them & us Life

Stories are what tie us together.
We are our stories.
Sacred objects can be the way to remember & honour the Story that connects us all.

You are invited to an evening of story – your story. Bring a personal sacred object, one that reminds you of the beauty and mystery of birth, life and death. It can be an object that you were given, made or found. You will have 5-10 minutes to share your story, then you can place your object in the centre of our circle. Like this, we will create a ceremony of shared meaning.

Within a short period of time - we will be sitting in the midst of holy objects, woven together by our stories. Allow your sacred object to bless others, allow your story to be heard, shared and nourish another. When the last story is spoken and the object placed in the centre, we will sit in silent appreciation of what we have created and how it has healed.

Fridays - 7:00pm
Call for ongoing Friday Dates!

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Ceremony & Story in Transformative Healing with Dr. Lewis Mehl-Madrona

Thursday November 6, 7pm.
Suggested Offering: $20

Join us for this rare opportunity to learn and experience how ceremony & story can assist us in healing ourselves and help us to create the space for others to do the same.
• Uncovering the “Inner Healer”, a profound part of our self, which organizes healing of body, mind & soul.
• Using ceremony, stories & storytelling in your own healing journey & incorporating these into your practice.

Dr. Mehl-Madrona, M.D., PhD., is internationally renowned Native American physician and a leader in the field of complementary - or integrative - medicine. Dr. Mehl-Madrona also worked for over 25 years as an emergency room physician in rural New Mexico, California, Vermont, New York, and Pennsylvania. His focus has been to blend the best of conventional medicine with the healing traditions of Native America and other indigenous cultures.
Author of numerous books including: Coyote Medicine: Lessons from Native American Healing.
*Reservations Required. Limited Seating.

Authentic Yoga Classes
9 week Course begins April 15, 2008

Tuesdays: April 15-June 10
7-8pm
In the true spirit of teaching yoga, there is no set fee for the course. A donation of $80 for the series or $10 drop-in is suggested.

Yoga is an expression of inner awareness. Its essence is gentleness & ease of movement, with none of the competitiveness which can often turn Yoga into merely a physical exercise. It develops a new sensitivity and brings an inner peace which helps one to cope with a hectic lifestyle.

Class content will include instruction in “asanas” (physical postures), simple breathing exercises, deep relaxation, & advice on home practice. Everyone Welcome.

Annie Parsonage has been studying & teaching Yoga for the past 14 years in India, Europe & Canada. She has just returned from India and will share her experiences and wisdom in this course at ITM.

To register call 416-537-0928 or email info@instituteoftraditionalmedicine.com

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Toronto's 1st on-site Program
Currently Enrolling Students.

Become a Traditional Herbalist while studying at Canada's Leading Medical Institute.

Gain skills in wildcrafting, explore the spiritual aspects of herbal medicine, and learn to assist others in maintaining health and preventing illness with nature's oldest medicine - herbs.

Distance Program includes one weekend a month Clinical Internship at ITM's Traditional Medicine Community Clinic.
Students have the option to participate in a variety of on-site courses led by experts in the field of traditional medicine, or to complete course content at their leisure, at a distance.

22 month practical program consists of over 2,000 hours of study and over 400 hours of clinical practice.

For more information - please email us: info@instituteoftraditionalmedicine.com

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Creating Your Medicinal Herb Garden
Everything you need to know to get started on this year's herb garden, no matter how large or small your space. Learn how to plan and prepare your garden, what herbs to choose, and what companions work well with
them. We also look at chemical free ways to control garden (or even window box) pests safely.

Saturday April 12th 12-2:30pm Fee: $25 paid in advance ($30 at the door)

Medicinal Herb Walk
Join us for a guided tour of the herbs and natural medicines that grow all around us. Learn to recognize common medicinal and healing herbs and discover useful ways to use them for your own health and wellbeing. Diane takes us on a two & half hour tour exploring local herbs that can be used for medicinal purposes. Location: Sunnybrook Park.

Saturday June 14th 12-2:30pm Fee: $25 paid in advance ($30 at the door)

DIANE KENT is a Medical Herbalist, and President of the Ontario Herbalists Association. She has years of experience as a practitioner and teacher, and operates a private clinic in Toronto. She is also the Director of ITM's Traditional Herbal Medicine Program.

Spaces Limited: Pre-Registration required. Please call 416-537-0928 or email info@instituteoftraditionalmedicine.com to reserve your spot.

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Downtown Dergha
Monthly Gatherings - Saturday Evenings: 7pm,

March 8, April 19, May 17, June 21

An introduction to heart-centered teachings of Islamic Mysticism.

The Sufi path invites the seeker to enter into an intimate & direct experience of Allah. Through song, music, movement and breath, the lover moves ever closer to the Beloved.

“The only lasting beauty is the beauty of the heart.” Jalal al-Din Rumi

Donation: $10

Sufi Shaykh, Murat Coskun is a generous and wise spiritual guide and teacher who is a respected lineage holder in the Rifai Sufi order. He provides a powerful experience of Allah through teachings, songs and the Zhikr ceremony (remembrance of God).

La Il Aha Il Allah – There is no God but God

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HEAD, FACE, HANDS, FEET - 60 Hour In-Class & Practical Training

2008
with additional practical hours in our Traditional Medicine Student Clinic

-Learn basic Oriental Medical theory including yin/yang, acupoints and meridians
-Gain practical techniques and skills for massaging the face, head, neck, arms, hands, and feet
-Become a Practitioner of this comprehensive massage for the Microsystems of the body

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Come explore a traditional and ancient way to bring balance to your life and harmony between heart, mind, body and spirit.

Taught in a traditional way, these techniques work to strengthen the body, calm the mind, increase circulation, alleviate pain, diminish stress levels, and re-ignite a sense of overall well being. All classes include stretching, breathing, meditation techniques, and complete explanations of the forms and practice.

Beginner and Advanced Students welcome in all classes.

Tai Chi/Qi Gong Classes
Classes include stretching, breathing, cleansing exercises as well as learning a complete Tai Chi form. Qi Gong components include meridian stretches, breathing, yoga-like movements and stretches, techniques for strengthening and healing specific areas of the body, and unblocking energy blockages.
Wednesdays - 6pm
Mondays & Saturdays - TBA

Yin Yoga/Qi Gong
Tuesdays - 6pm
Saturdays - TBA

YIN YOGA
This is a slow, deep practice that increases your flexibility by stretching and stimulating the connective tissue of the hips and spine rather than the muscles. By stimulating this dense connective tissue we are deeply unblocking the free flow of Qi in our meridians which is believed to be traveling through the connective tissues of our body.

The postures in Yin Yoga are held for several minutes targeting the more 'yin' parts of our physical and emotional body. While stretching specific meridians during our practice we can also stimulate various acupressure points.

This is a quiet and contemplative yoga which helps prepare the student for deeper meditation practice.

Cathy Keenan began her yoga journey in 1999. She has studied with a variety of teachers including Paul Grilley, Chuck Miller & Maty Ezraty, Hart Laser and completing an additional teacher training in restorative yoga with Hali
Schwartz. Cathy enjoys creating an environment in her class which explores different styles/sequencing and
breath work to create a practice that is both challenging and invigorating. Cathy is also completing her studies in Acupuncture at the Institute of Traditional Medicine and will combine her knowledge and experience in this field with the art of stretching and working with the meridians.

Drop-in for a complimentary class.

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The Toronto What is Enlightenment? Magazine Meetup

Monthly Gatherings: Saturdays, 4-6pm. Next Gathering - June date TBA

Meetups are regular gatherings around the world covering thousands of interests in the hopes of brining people together who read WIE and who are looking to broaden and share their perspectives in order to create a revolution in consciousness and culture.

The Toronto WIE Meetup will take place approximately once a month and each gathering will focus on one article from the current issue at the time. Participants should come having read the article, and with a willingness to explore its deeper significance and implications. The article being discussed this month is called "Creative Friction: Community and the Utopian Impulse in a Postmodern World". It can be found in the WIE April-June 2007 issue.
To register please go to (http://wie.meetup.com/12/?gj=sj5) or you may contact Mike Farley at michael_dt_farley@yahoo.ca, 416-960-4702

The Meetup is being held at ITM ~ 553 Queen St. W. 2nd Fl. Toronto.

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with James George and Barbara Wright

FRIDAY EVENINGS ~ 7:30pm $10 donation (Next Gathering - TBA)

Join us for an exploration into the nature of Reality, inner and outer, and the meaning that this quest has for our own lives and for the well being of our planet. Spend an intimate evening with an extraordinary being who has led a remarkable life, with close to ninety years of deep spiritual experiences guided by some of the world’s greatest spiritual teachers. Discussions and their practical application will focus on the teachings of Gurdjieff. Jim was a close pupil of Gurdjieff's successor, the late Madame de Salzmann, and Barbara of Lord Pentland, who led the Work in North America until his death in 1984.

James George, a distinguished Canadian diplomat, pioneering environmental and political activist, has spent over sixty years exploring the rich traditions of Buddhism, Hinduism, Sufism, Christianity and the Gurdjieff work in their countries of origin. He has learned from visionaries like Krishnamurti, Thomas Merton, Yogaswami of Sri Lanka, Sufi master Dr. Javad Nurbakhsh, Dudjom Rinpoche, Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche and H.H. the Dalai Lama. James has been a student of the Gurdjieff Work for more than fifty years, and was a close pupil of Gurdjieff's successor, the late Madame de Salzmann. James George has been a powerful advocate for traditional medicine, including Tibetan and Oriental Medicine. Barbara Wright is a Feldenkrais practitioner, and a writer and editor. She has led Gurdjieff groups since 1968 and given Feldenkrais workshops since 1999. In 2005, she moved to Toronto from San Francisco.

Come enjoy an evening of spiritual exploration, insights and wisdom, with a national treasure and one of Canada’s greatest wisdom keepers.

Limited Seating - Reservations Required. Please call 416-537-0928

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The events & workshops below were held at or with the support of the Institute of Traditional Medicine. If you would like more details on these events or speakers please contact us via email or phone.

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*WALKING THE BEAUTY WAY
Rare & precious Dine/Navajo Sacred Teachings & Ceremonies by Walking Thunder ~ Dine/Navajo Medicine Woman

Walking Thunder is a traditional Diné (Navajo) medicine woman. She uses native plants, prayers, sand paintings, and other medicinal ways. Her ceremonies call forth and connect with the Holy Ones so that life on Earth will be blessed and everything walks in beauty (hozho) again. Hozho, means sacred, holy, blessed, and balanced.

Friday May 9, 2008 7pm
Dine/Navajo Sacred Teachings & Ceremony by Walking Thunder.
Join us for an evening that will introduce us into the profound world of Dine sacred teachings and ceremony.

Saturday May 10, 12-4pm
Dine/Navajo Sandpainting Exhibition
Experience the making and teachings of a traditional medicine sandpainting. Drop in between 12 and 4pm for an intimate interaction with Walking Thunder as she constructs and offers teachings on sandpaintings and their medicine.

Saturday May 10, 7pm
Dine/Navajo Healing Ceremony (including ‘Blessing for Mothers’.
An evening to experience the medicine and healing of a traditional Dine medicine keeper.

Sunday May 11, 11am-3pm
Private Healing Sessions with Walking Thunder. To book an appointment – please call/email ITM.

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with DIANE LONGBOAT, MOHAWK ELDER

IAHKAWENNAHNIRON
pronounced Ya go wanna knee loon, meaning Having a Strong Spirit in Mohawk

PLEASE GATHER WITH US TO CELEBRATE THE 3rd YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE SACRED FIRE
SUNDAY NOVEMBER 25th, 2007 - at the Sacred Fire - Six Nations
Those who are interested in starting another cycle of teachings with Diane Longboat - should be present for this gathering and ceremony.

AN EXTRAORDINARY CYCLE OF TEACHINGS BEGINS WITH DIANE LONGBOAT – MOHAWK ELDER

Over the past years, we have had many requests for Diane Longboat to offer more intensive guidance and ceremonies for students interested in developing their connection to the Creator and to their life purpose. This year long journey of teachings and ceremony is dedicated to this purpose. It is for those who are committed to using their gifts to mend the world and to serve others, and to deepen their spiritual discipline. If you have missed the initial gatherings this year, and are still interested in joining the year long journey, it is necessary to connect with us before the new year. 416-537-0928

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*THE PRAYER FESTIVAL NOVEMBER 2004-2007.
Nourishing the World through Prayer and Ceremony
This is a day to encounter and celebrate the beauty, vastness and mystery of Creation.

The Prayer Festival brings together visionaries who use the power of prayer and ceremony to heal individuals, communities and the environment. This is an opportunity for people to come together and experience the Sacred through the songs, prayers and ceremonies of the world’s wisdom traditions. The ceremonies require your participation. There is no audience. Come and deepen your commitment to personal transformation and to mending the world.

THE WISDOMKEEPERS Include:
Diane Longboat, Mohawk Elder & friends – Healing Ceremony
Murat Coskun, Sufi Shaykh - Zhikr (Remembrance of Allah)
Stephen Jenkinson: Visionary Leader,Palliative Care Worker
Father Terry Gallager: Interfaith Visionary
Jeff Kupchik: Tibetan Buddhist Chod-Healing Ceremony
Dave Courchene: Ojibway Leader
Swami Kripamayananda : Chants and Prasad Ceremony (Food Blessing)
Ani-la Kyizom - Tibetan Healing Chants
Aviva Chernick : Hebrew Songs & Prayer
Ambuya Chiweshe: Medicine Woman & Musician from Zimbabwe - Music as Medicine
Baro Dununba : African Ancestral Wisdom through Drums

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*8 Sacred Teachings
An 8 week exploration of some of the most profound spiritual teachings on creating a life that is dedicated to mending the self and our world. Learn from those who have dedicated their lives to balance, relationship and creating community.

From the ancient tradition of Initiation, to meditative practices to end suffering, to the spiritual essence found within plant medicines, you will encounter traditions that encourage an awareness of our interdependence and relationship to the great cycles of being.

TEACHINGS ON NON-DUALITY
Advaita Vedanta Teachings & Meditation
With Swami Kripamayananda A RARE EVENING
Swami Kripamayananda is a monk of the Ramakrishna Order of India and head of the Vedanta Society of Toronto. He joined the Order in 1976 and received final monastic vows in 1986, after rigorous training in monastic life at the headquarters of the Order at Belur Math (near Calcutta ) and at other centers of the Order. He is a wise and generous teacher with the gift of communicating the Advaita Vedanta teachings with profoundity and clarity.
Who am I? What is the nature of Reality? What is consciousness? Advaita Vedanta offers a radical response to these inquiries through the teaching of Advaita or 'nonduality.' Advaita is translated from Sanskrit as “not two” and represents one of humanity's most profound teachings about the nature of Self and the Absolute. These insights are rooted in the Hindu scriptures known as the Upanisads or Vedanta and Swami Kripamayananda is part of a lineage that maintains this rich tradition.
This evening will introduce teachings & meditations that will assist students in awakening to the realization of the interconnectedness of all life - revealing that all existence is One.

“It is love and love alone that I preach, and I base my teaching on the great Vedantic truth of the sameness and omnipresence of the Soul of the Universe."-------Swami Vivekananda

Eliot Cowan ~ Introduction to Plant Spirit Medicine
Eliot Cowan is the author of Plant Spirit Medicine, and a shaman in the Huichol tradition. He is the founder of the Blue Deer Center in New York state. He completed his shamanic apprenticeship with the late Don Guadalupe Gonzalez Rios, an eminent Huichol Indian Marakame (Shaman).
Through his great wit, will, wisdom, and indefatigable enthusiasm, Eliot Cowan brings the sacred healing traditions of the Huichol Indians and the plant spirits to all of us.
Humans and plants have lived together for countless generations. We are family. Our plant relatives are generous and helpful, offering us food and medicine. Like us, plants have spirit, and their spirit can nurture and heal us. Plant Spirit Medicine brings us into balance and harmony. It is the shaman’s way with plants. A millennial practice known to all peoples, it was rediscovered in the West by Eliot Cowan, and has proved just as effective in today’s world as in times past.

Steve Jenkinson ~ Initiation: The midwife of human being
Stephen Jenkinson, MTS, MSW, RSW, is revolutionizing the way we think about various stages of life; birth, initiation, adulthood, death and dying. He is the co-leader of the Max and Beatrice Wolfe Centre for Children’s Grief and Palliative Care at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto and Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto’s Department of Family and Community Medicine. He has a Master’s Degree from Harvard University (Theological Studies) and the University of Toronto (Social Work). As a visonary bardic sage, palliative caregiver, sculptor, traditional canoe builder, and winner of a Governor General’s Award for Architecture, Stephen is a sought after speaker and teacher in village building and the palliative care field. His work has been featured in several television documentaries on spirituality and wilderness creativity. Watch for the upcoming NFB film 'Griefwalker'.

Mostly in our part of the world we know about initiation from its absence. I'm often asked, "What would our culture be like if we didn't have initiation?" The answer can only be: Look around. This is what it's like.

Initiation coallesces the initiate's kinship with humanity, with creation, with the other world, and gives initiated people a place and a way to make life live. Well understood, well lived and well done, initiation happens half a dozen times anyway in someone's life, deepening their humanity as it has its way with them. All of this happens on the heels of knowing more and more how you and I won't, bless us, last. If initiation is the making of a human being - and it is - what is a people who have no initiation? What is to become of us? These are the things we'll give ourselves to wondering about, as a beginning.

Don Evans ~Transformative Meditations for those working with the Spiritual
As well as being an Emeritus Professor of Philosophy, Don Evans is a Spiritual Counsellor and Psychotherapist and leads numerous workshops and trainings for practitioners of medicine and healing, and has several degrees including: B.A. (Toronto), B.D. (McGill), B.PHIL (Oxford), D.PHIL (Oxford), D.D. (Huntington).
This is an evening for those who work with others in the capacity of spiritual dimensions: counselling, healing, direction. Don will present a series of exercises including: "The Tree" and "Self-Healing and Self-Loving", that are designed to prepare the practitioner to hold a sacred space for their own healing, and for the healing of others.

Frank Manella ~ Lessons from the Sacred Fire –The role of Men, the Teachings of Women (Session for Men Only)
Frank Manella was given the name 'Keeper of the Sacred Fire' by Mohawk elder Diane Longboat. He has fulfilled the meaning of that name by birthing a sacred fire near Caledonia, Ontario that has burned continously for over three years. His vision was to tend a fire that would bring the teachings of women's wisdom to men's attention in order to mend our broken world.

Frank has been a student of Anishnabe elder Dave Courchene and Mohawk teacher Diane Longboat for over a decade and had been invited to participate in many traditional First Nations ceremonies including the Sundance. He is a humble and gifted teacher who will share with other men, the insights that come from fire and living a disciplined life. This evening is a safe and confidential place for men to gather and explore their heartminds.

Il Cho & Cathy Keenan ~ Moving into Stillness: Essential Zen Meditations & Yogic Practices
'Moving into Stillness' is about awakening to our true potential. This potential is our true self... a person of compassion and wisdom who is on this planet to help others. This is the awakened heart! This awakening starts from the heart of stillness. This is a deep stillness empowered through the physical and mental
disciplines of Zen, Yoga and other great traditions.

Join Cathy Keenan and Il'cho this evening for an exploration of the powerful techniques of Yoga and Zen. We will practice meditation and other forms of spiritual practice, as well as postures, breathing techniques and exercises. Il'cho is an ordained Dharma Teacher (Zen Buddhist Temple) and Cathy Keenan is a
Certified Yoga Teacher. Both have taught many workshops and classes, and Il'cho has conducted numerous retreats and meditation courses over 20
years.

Zasep Rinpoche ~ Tonglen Practice: Liberation from Suffering, Awakening Compassion
Zasep Tulku Rinpoche is highly respected Tibetan Buddhist teacher (Lama) who is a recognized reincarnate teacher from eastern Tibet. Rinpoche is revered for his ability to make dharma (Buddhist teachings) accessible for Westerners. We are honored to have Zasep Rinpoche present the Buddhist teachings on Tonglen:

The tonglen practice is a method for connecting with suffering - ours and that which is all around us, and learning how to eliminate it in ourselves and in others; those we love, and those we are in conflict with. It is a method for overcoming fear of suffering and for dissolving the tightness of our heart. "Primarily it is a method for awakening the compassion that is inherent in all of us, no matter how cruel or cold we, or the world might seem to be. Tonglen reverses the usual logic of avoiding suffering and seeking pleasure and, in the process, we become liberated from a very ancient prison of selfishness". - Pema Chodron

Zasep Rinpoche will guide us in this powerful practice and technique for eliminating our suffering, and the suffering of those in our communities.

Alan Reed ~ Geomancy, Druidry & Earth Literacy
Alan is a long time student of the Earth. He has honed a remarkable sensitivity to the natural world with a gift of working with stones and minerals. He has amazed hundreds of people with his ability to read the earth's energy lines through dowsing. This is a rare public appearance in which Alan will speak about his experiences of listening to the living world as well as demonstrate how each of us can begin to reawaken these abilities.

*Each night will address a specific element of the "Sacred" and provides a unique and essential way to awaken to and experience all that exists in the cycle of being.

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INTO THE FIRE - TRADITIONAL MEDICINE SERIES

"A physician becomes perfect in the waves of change. Adherence to rigid principles will only create stagnation. Every wanderer on the path of medicine necessarily looks to the laws of nature expounded by the masters of old, but when the moment of action arrives, s/he must receive the transmission of the heart and become
enlightened to the atmosphere of the moment when the sages first recognized these laws creating these laws oneself, over and over again." -Sun Yikui

Join us for this exciting series of teachings led by world-renowned practitioners and wisdom keepers of Oriental Medicine.

Discover the deepest sources of energy through these ancient Asian practices.
Experience the healing that evolves when the mind, body, spirit and heart align.

March 14, 15, 16 Eliot Cowan: Plant Spirit Medicine, Rekindling the Fire & Five Element Acupuncture

Saturday March 15: 10-6pm (with additional Fire Ceremony in the Evening). Rekindle: A day to Rekindle Your Connection With the Divine Natural World

Join us for a full day exploring practices and exercises that will allow you to establish relationship will the intelligences and beings of the natural world. Eliot will guide participants through practical exercises and experiences that will deepen one's connection to and understanding of themselves and the thousands of life forms around us. The day will end with a Sacred Fire Ceremony.

Sunday March 16, 10-6pm - Plant Spirit Medicine & Five Element Training
A picture of two shamans dancing - in china this was the ancient written word for “medicine”. The original healers saw the world and its people as a dance of natural, sacred energies. Today the same dance continues. Today as before, the five element view shows us the moves and how to join the dance. It can lead us to grace and effectiveness in herbalism, acupuncture, or what ever we practice.
This day long workshop will be an introduction to the five elements - an opportunity for you to begin to experience life as the dance of the energies. M.Ac. College of Classical Acupuncture UK, and Shaman in the Huichol Tradition.
$100 per day. Or $175 for both Saturday & Sunday with pre-registration and pre-payment.

*Spiritual Alchemy with Lorie Eve Dechar

Friday July 11 – 7pm
Intro: Alchemical Healing

Sat & Sun July 12 & 13
Alchemical Workshop

On her first visit to Toronto, Lorie offers a two-day hands-on seminar on ways to use traditional Chinese medicine & various traditional healing modalities incl. breath, movement, touch, myth, & expanded states of awareness, to support yourself or your patients in discovering a new vision for the healing process by tuning into the subtle wisdom of the body, qi & the natural world. Learn theories & techniques drawn from Taoist & European alchemy, Zen Buddhist practice, Western depth psychology & contemporary studies of consciousness. Open to practitioners & all who desire to discover their own unique alchemy.

*The Spiritual Practice of Chinese Medicine ~ Five-Element Constitutional Diagnosis with Lonny Jarrett
(5 Element & 8 Principle System)

September 20/ 21, 2008

The author of the Shen Nong Ben Cao, China's oldest herbal text, stated that the highest type of medicine helped humans fulfill their destiny, the middle type helped them nourish original nature, and the lowest type treated physical illness. Today, treating people for the nourishment of original nature and the fulfillment of destiny represents an important inner tradition which has been all but lost in the modern practice of Traditional Chinese Medicine. A basic premise of Chinese medicine is to move stagnation before tonifying and there is no greater source of stagnation in life than having forgotten true self. Thus we recognize that nourishing the fulfillment of destiny is the heart and soul of our medicine. Yet how often do we realize this goal in our lives or in clinical practice?
What is the largest possible context for the practice of Chinese medicine in the 21st century? How will Chinese medicine help humanity to face the challenges that confront us today? What are the most significant imbalances of our time and how can Chinese medicine help?

The intention of my teaching is to give the student a core grounding in this inner tradition. Constitutional diagnosis will be examined as an organizing framework that yields deep insights into each patient's destiny and path of healing. The imagery contained in the acupuncture point names will be discussed as it relates to the points inner functions. We will cover the functional dynamics of the ¬sheng and ke cycles to understand Chinese medicine as a fully holistic/integral science. Participation in this class is suitable for practitioners from any tradition and level of training who wish to deepen their perspective on their art.

Lonny S. Jarrett has been active in the field of Chinese medicine since 1980. He is a Fellow of the National Academy of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine and a founding board member of the Acupuncture Society of Massachusetts. He teaches and publishes widely on the inner tradition of Chinese medicine and Chinese pulse diagnosis. He is the author of “Nourishing Destiny: The Inner Tradition of Chinese Medicine” and “The Clinical Practice of Chinese Medicine”. His articles and texts are available on the WEB at Spiritpathpress.com.

Topics include:
---->Chinese medicine as a science of conscious awareness.
-----> The evolution of Chinese medicine
---->Destiny and Constitutional Type.
---->The Relationship Between Chinese Cosmology & Physiology.
---->Inner Functions of Acupuncture Points, Herbal formulas, and Point Combinations.
---->The Suggestive Process in treatment.
---->Diagnosis by Color, Sound, Odor & Emotion.
---->The Relationship between the Five-elements and Eight-Principles.
----> Practical exercises in diagnosis.
----> Destiny, enlightenment, and healing

Date: TBD Peter Holmes: Detoxification Essentials, Essential Oils in the Practice of Herbal Medicine & Acupuncture (Author of The Energetics of Western Herbs, Jade Remedies)

This is the first time that many of these practitioners will be offering trainings and private sessions in Toronto.

Public sessions will be held on Friday Evenings. Intensive Advanced Training for Students &Practitioners of Oriental Medicine will be held on the weekends. CEUs are available through NCCAOM.

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*HEALING FROM THE HIVE
Introduction to Apitherapy & the crucial role that Bees play in our lives.

Saturday May 24, 1:30pm
suggested donation: $15

In this interactive seminar you will be introduced to the fascinating world of bees & the healing qualities of their products. From honey to beeswax, bee venom to propolis, learn how bees can help to heal various conditions, while they sustain our food supplies & earth.

with Oliver Couto, bee expert.

In this extremely informative seminar you will be introduced to:
• The importance of bees to humanity & the environment
• The spiritual aspects of bees and the lessons they teach
• Apitherapy: The Queen of Therapies; healing with bee products, through homeopathy, phytotherapy, colour therapy, & aromatherapy
• Products of the hive: honey, propolis, bee pollen, royal jelly, beeswax & bee venom, and their role in healing various conditions & ailments, as well as for preventive health care
• How bee products work spiritually & scientifically to heal ourselves & the earth
Come explode your senses with the tastes, textures & healing qualities of bee products, brought to us by members of the beekeeping community in Toronto.

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ANCESTRAL WISDOM THROUGH DRUMMING
BARO DUNUNBA DRUM FEST
A Fundraiser for Baro Village in Africa

Come join us to experience Ancestral Wisdom through Drums in this riveting and soulful performance by Toronto’s most exciting and entertaining Drummers.

Saturday December 15, 7pm, Donation: $20

We are so honoured and pleased to host the Baro Dununba Drummers at ITM. We had an overwhelming response about these drummers at the Prayer Festival and we are excited to host a fundraiser to raise awareness and funds for medical and educational supplies for the village in Baro, Africa.

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THE PATH OF PRAYER
An exploration into the nature of prayer and the importance of leading a prayerful life.

Join us for a remarkable series on the ways that prayer can bring healing, relationship and purpose to ones life. NOT TO BE MISSED!

This three evening series is led by some of the most dedicated, experienced and fascinating wisdom keepers. Explore the meaning of prayer from various spiritual traditions and enter the territory of your deepest connections to that which is greater than yourself; the Sacred. Discover and cultivate the strength, clarity and gratitude that comes with living a life informed by Spirit, through prayer.

7-9pm
Donation: ($20 each evening)

Friday Feb 22: Diane Longboat, Mohawk Elder:
With Visible Breath ~ Indigenous Prayer & Healing Ceremony

Learn a form of prayer that includes sacred song, heart-centered words and a powerful doctoring ceremony to heal our deepest wounds. Diane and her students, including the Windigos (Contraries), will deepen our understanding of prayer, gratitude and our connection to the Creator. Women are required to wear long skirts for the ceremony, and children are always welcome and encouraged to join!

Friday Feb 29: Rev. Paul Grubb S.J.
Daily Prayer ~ Wisdom from the Jesuit tradition

An evening of time hounoured spiritual practices from the Ignatian Tradition, led by a Jesuit whose experience in Christian and Indigenous Red Road (Lakota) teachings and practices have given him insight into the essence of living a prayerful life. He will introduce and inspire us with techniques and practices that use the imagination and the senses to enhance the inner life.

Thursday March 20: Stephen Jenkinson, Visionary Elder and Bardic Sage
Making Your Best Case to the Holy: The art of prayer and the prayer of art

Prayer doesn't happen in school, and art making is being phased out too. This is as it will be: they're the same thing. The thumb is the tongue of your hand; the tongue is the thumb of your mouth. Both have the genius of articulation.

Prayer properly done, vehemently done, in service to something beyond our comforting or need, in the name of something we don't seem to benefit from at all and shouldn't rightly live to see, carried to a mystery that comes more mysterious the more we learn of it, gathering as it goes more and more people and their reluctance like tumbleweed, prayer thought of in this way is part supplication, part demand, part heartbrokenness, part jurisprudential spiritual savvy, part hard to defend nerviness that easily passes for arrogance, part devastation of everything you thought was true, all human and all holy. This is how you feed now what has fed you all along.

These are the things we'll wonder about.

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SACRED SOUNDS FROM THE SOURCE
Come Sit In Silent Reverence
Celebrating Spring Equinox, Good Friday & Purim with Sacred Song & Music from the Spiritual Traditions

Friday March 21, 7pm
Donation: $20

Let sacred songs and ancient chants fill the spacious territory of your heart-mind. Listen or participate as you are blessed by the powerful sounds of Hindu, Indigenous, Christian, African and Buddhist ceremonial traditions. Hear these prayers sung in their original languages - Sanskrit, Hebrew, Tibetan – by traditional chanters and ceremonial singers.

Kailash (Hindu/Buddhist Chants)
Aviva Chernick (Cantorial Soloist)
Leslie Mezei (Interfaith Chants)
Krystina Lewicky (Hildegard Chants)

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PLANT SPIRIT MEDICINE
3 phenomenal evenings with Eliot Cowan, M.Ac. (College of Classical Acupuncture UK), Author of Plant, Spirit, Medicine, and Shaman in the Huichol Tradition.

Friday March 14: Introduction to Plant Spirit Medicine & Ancestral Teachings
Eliot Cowan is the author of Plant Spirit Medicine, and a shaman in the Huichol tradition. He is the founder of the Blue Deer Center in New York state. He completed his shamanic apprenticeship with the late Don Guadalupe Gonzalez Rios, an eminent Huichol Indian Marakame (Shaman).

Through his great wit, will, wisdom, and indefatigable enthusiasm, Eliot Cowan brings the sacred healing traditions of the Huichol Indians and the plant spirits to all of us. through stories, experiences & ceremony, Eliot will introduce the practice of Plant Spirit Medicine, the importance of our interaction with and connection to the nature world, and its role in healing today.

Humans and plants have lived together for countless generations. We are family. Our plant relatives are generous and helpful, offering us food and medicine. Like us, plants have spirit, and their spirit can nurture and heal us. Plant Spirit Medicine brings us into balance and harmony. It is the shaman’s way with plants. A millennial practice known to all peoples, it was rediscovered in the West by Eliot Cowan, and has proved just as effective in today’s world as in times past.

Saturday March 15: Rekindle: A day to Rekindle Your Connection With the Divine Natural World

Join us for a full day exploring practices and exercises that will allow you to establish relationship will the intelligences and beings of the natural world. Eliot will guide participants through practical exercises and experiences that will deepen one's connection to and understanding of themselves and the thousands of life forms around us. The day will end with a Sacred Fire Ceremony.

Sunday March 16, - Plant Spirit Medicine & Five Element Training
A picture of two Shamans dancing; in China this was the ancient written word for “medicine”. The original healers saw the world and its people as a dance of natural, sacred energies. Today the same dance continues. Today as before, the five element view shows us the moves and how to join the dance. It can lead us to grace and effectiveness in herbalism, acupuncture, or what ever we practice.
This day long workshop will be an introduction to the five elements - an opportunity for you to begin to experience life as the dance of the energies.

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SACRED CINEMA
Fundraiser for Shenpen’s Tibetan Children’s School

Saturday December 8, 7pm, Donation: $10

Join us for a series of extraordinary documentaries that reveal the visions, wisdom and teachings of a some of North American’s most inspiring Visionaries, Healers, and Wisdom Keepers. Themes explore Sacred Art, Dance as Medicine, Tibetan Teachings on Reincarnation & Death, Lakota teachings on the White Buffalo Woman and the Sacred Pipe.
Discussion & Refreshments to follow. Filmmaker will be available for questions.

Shenpen Fund Canada’s (a registered charitable organization) mission is to work collaboratively with local communities in Tibetan areas to find sustainable ways to meet their needs. This fundraiser is to support the Tibetan Children’s School.

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HEALING THROUGH MUSIC
Join us for a rare opportunity to experience the healingsounds of the Mbira, an ancient African instrument, performed by Ambuya Chiweshe

Friday December 7, 7pm,, Donation: $10

Before independence the Mbira was kept hidden because of its magical powers. For over 1000 years, Mbira players have used the instrument to call in and allow the Ancestors to speak and bring their teachings and healing. Considered by many to be a form of therapy or medicine, the Mbira is a vital conduit in ceremony for Ambuya Chiweshe, and for the Shona people of Zimbabwe.

The Mbira is played for the Ancestors, to create healing, to arouse and balance the energy of the healer, and as a meditation for the mind. Abuya Chiweshe is the first woman to play the Mbira, and is on a short visit to Toronto to share its medicine. Ambuya has found life in integrating mbira, marimba, dance, song and story telling, weaving them to produce a healing recipe that has nourished her audiences around the world for many years. Ambuya is also offering Mbira lessons to those who are interested in the magic of this instrument.

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TIBETAN HEALING CEREMONY - CHOD
with the Venerable Ontul Rinpoche
This is a rare opportunity to experience the powerful healing practice of Cho which originated 1,000 years ago in Tibet.

This Healing Chod is designed to loosen, pacify, and liberate obstacles to personal wellness, and is conducted with participants lying down and relaxing, while the ceremony is performed. All that is required is to bring your favorite pillow and a mat, take a rest and allow the healing practice to penetrate you. Photos or clothing of loved ones may be brought for their blessing at a distance.

Healing Chod is suitable for all, young and old and for any type or stage of physical or psychological challenge or illness.

Chod means Cutting Through the Ego and merges the elemental powers of Shamanism with the profound wisdom of Tantric Buddhism. The ceremonies have uniquely haunting melodies, accompanied by the shaman drum, sacred bell and bone trumpet.

Ontul Rinpoche is a highly regarded Lama who has trained in Buddhist philosophy and Tantric Rituals of the Kagyu and Nyngma Schools. In 1954 he was recognized as the incarnation of Ontul by the 16th Karmapa, the leader of the Karma Kagyu lineage. In 1959 he escaped to India and continued training as a young monk before moving to Ladakh, where his training continued and where he later established a monastery.

We are very fortunate to have this powerful and compassionate teacher giving this rare blessing opportunity.

If you need healing of body and mind, this is a potent ceremony, that Rinpoche has offered to people all over the world.

Reservations Required.

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*GLOBAL SHAMANISM
BRADFORD KEENEY ~ The world's leading authority on Global Shamanism & Traditional Healing

Join us for an intimate and rare evening with Bradford Keeney Ph.D., as he discusses his unique approach to healing and psychotherapy, using the traditional teachings of the world's most ancient cultures.
“Brad Keeney emerges as a fascinating and charismatic healer, one who brings to modern life the powerful wisdom of a traditional shaman. Daniel Goleman Ph.D., author, Emotional Intelligence

An interactive exploration of the world's oldest medicine ~ Shaking Medicine. Bradford will explore the ways in which various cultures have learned to awaken the body to bring forth the ecstatic experiences of trembling, shaking, and quaking. These highly charged forms of expression are characteristic of wild shamanic practice and the aroused ways of working the spirit found in the African Diaspora. Keeney will tell stories and provide illustrations of how to tap into this spirited way of being and use it to transform your personal and social lives.

With music and rhythms, Keeney will guide the participants through ancient and new ways of inviting the presence of the life force. Whether called ki, kundalini, n/om, holy spirit, or the universal life force, traditions throughout the world have discovered unique ways of bringing this energetic feeling into their bodies. The practice of ecstatic expression stimulates creativity, provides an opening to the mythopoetic landscape, spontaneously triggers healing responses, invites energetic interaction, and re-charges and re-vitalizes the whole mind, body, and soul.

Bradford Keeney, Ph.D. has worked at some of the most respected psychotherapy centers in the United States. The author of several classics in the field of family therapy, he has also written numerous books: Everyday Soul, Shaking Out the Spirits, and Bushman Shaman: Awakening the Spirit through Ecstatic Dance. Keeney, who has carried out one of the broadest and most intense field studies of global shamanism in history, is the editor of the critically acclaimed book series, Profiles of Healing, a ten-volume encyclopedia of the world’s healing practices, and is the subject of the book, American Shaman: An Odyssey of Global Healing Traditions. Bradford Keeney is accepted as an elder shaman and spiritual teacher in numerous cultures throughout the world, including the Japanese tradition of seiki jutsu, the Guarani Indians of lower basin Amazonia, the Zulu sangoma community, the elder Shakers of St. Vincent, diverse folk healers of Brazil, and the Balians of Bali, among others. Regarded as a n/om kxao (owner of spiritual power) by the Bushmen of Namibia and Botswana, he founded Thara Tjua (Shaking House), the Bushman Healing Conservancy.

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*NATIVE HEALING CEREMONY
wth DIANE LONGBOAT, MOHAWK ELDER

Come surround yourself with the elements, and join in Sacred Native Ceremony with Diane Longboat, Mohawk Elder.

*ANISHNABE SPIRITUAL LEADER: DAVE COURCHENE
(Nii Gaani Aki Inin, Leading Earth Man)

Anishnabe Spiritual leader Dave Courchene (Nii Gaani Aki Inin, Leading Earth Man) from the Sagkeeng Reserve in Manitoba will offer a Pipe Ceremony and speak about the role of vision and the work of Spirit in transforming the world. This is a rare opportunity to hear wisdom from a true Sacred Activist. This is a fundraiser for the Turtle lodge: www.theturtlelodge.com

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*MANDAZA - AFRICAN MEDICINE MAN
The Institute of Traditional Medicine invites you to experience the wisdom and warmth of Mandaza (Augustine) Kandemwa - Medicine Man and Peacemaker from Zimbabwe

We are pleased to invite you to an intimate evening with an extraordinary healer and visionary from Zimbabwe. Mandaza (Augustine) Kandemwa, a nganga, a Bantu medicine man, in the Shona and Ndebele traditions of Zimbabwe, carries the great heart of the Central African tradition of healing and peacemaking.

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*COLLECTING LOSS - Weaving Threads of Memory
Do you have an article of clothing from someone you have loved and lost? There is an opportunity for you to donate this clothing and share the story that it evokes for you as part of a creative and caring project, led by one of ITM's community members, Karen Haffey. This community based art project is about gathering and sharing memories that exist through the clothing of our loved ones who have died. It explores what happens when individual cloth and story gets woven together into something new, becoming a fabric of stories, collectively shared. Clothing captures moments in time, a nostalgic reminder of smells, sights, sounds and bodies. Clothing like memory, suggests impermanence. If you are called to tell these stories, please contact Karen Haffey at 416-846-3909, info@collectingloss.com . The deadline is the end of July - so please connect with them soon. Visit their website for more info: collectingloss.com

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*DEATH & DYING SERIES

TSA SUR RITUAL & CEREMONY
Teaching on Death and Impermanence, and how the living can help the dead.
By Zasep Tulku Rinpoche – Tibetan Budhhist Lama

Tsa Sur is a ritual that combines prayers, offerings and visualizations aimed at helping those who have passed away. This ceremony is usually performed during the 49 days after death, when the departed beings are said to pass through the Bardo (intermediate state between lives). This practice is performed to help loved ones during this transitive period. Rinpoche will perform the ritual for those who have passed away, explain the practice and then give teachings on death and impermanence.

WHAT DYING TEACHES US
What is it about living that dying proves?

By Stephen Jenkinson – Palliative Care Visionary

Come have your basic assumptions about death, dying and the dead, challenged. Join Stephen Jenkinson, Palliative Care Visionary and Ritual Leader, as we explore the need that the living and the dead have for each other, why the fear of dying is not universal, and why this culture relies so much on lights at Christmas.

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*JOHN SEED -Climate Change, Despair and Empowerment Workshop
Join us as we host John Seed, ecologist and activist, in a rare and intimate gathering in Toronto.

This workshop will explore experiential processes that generate a sense of empowerment as we allow ourselves to recognise our feelings about what is happening to our world. By acknowledging this level of our being rather than just our thoughts on the subject, people around the world have found that feelings of helplessness, hopelessness, "what can one person do anyway?", "It's all to late" etc are transformed into inspired and empowered positive action.

Through processes which nourish our vast ecological identity, we expand from the narrow confines of our social identity to experience our ancient ecological heritage, that every cell in our body is descended in an unbroken chain from the first cell of life. Then our kinship with all of life shines through the fog of civilisation and rooted in the history of Earth and in the living Earth itself, we seek wisdom and clear thinking on our role as we and our fellow beings face the crisis of global warming.

JOHN SEED is a long time rainforest campaigner and exponent of deep ecology and author (with Joanna Macy, Arne Naess and Pat Flemming) of Thinking Like a Mountain - Towards a Council of All Beings (1988), an important book for understanding the practice and philosophy of deep ecology. He has made several films on ecology topics and albums of environmental music. For more information:http://www.rainforestinfo.org.au/deep-eco/cabmourn.htm

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*TIBETAN MEDICINE
Come and learn about this fascinating traditional medicine by one of Toronto's most revered Tibetan Doctors.

By synthesizing knowledge from various medical systems, Tibetans created an approach to medical science drawn from thousands of years of accumulated empirical knowledge and intuition about the nature of health and illness. Centuries ago, before Buddhism entered Tibet, Tibetans like all ancient peoples, had a significant degree of medical knowledge.

By combining knowledge from a variety of medical systems from China, India, Persia, Greece and Tibet, Tibetan Doctors codified this knowledge into a unique system containing a synthesis of the principals of physical and psychological medicine imbued with a Buddhist spiritual understanding.

Dr. Tenzin Kyizom introduces us to the basic procedures for diagnosing imbalances in the body, mind and spirit, and to the complex world of prescribing herbs and mantras for healing.

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**THE LIBERATION OF CONSCIOUSNESS
An introduction to Andrew Cohen’s Evolutionary Enlightenment
with Rod Stanbrook ~ Certified Instructor

EVOLUTIONARY ENLIGHTENMENT
Andrew Cohen’s teaching of Evolutionary Enlightenment presents a revolutionary new potential for individual and collective human development that is just emerging in consciousness. Using multimedia presentations and dialogue, this five-week course systematically explores the fundamental principles and philosophy of this contemporary enlightenment teaching. Each week’s class meeting time is followed by online discussion forums, readings, and reflection exercises. The full course in Toronto will be given in 3 days.

Evolutionary Enlightenment unites the eastern notion of enlightenment with the western passion for innovation and change. This teaching provides a practical framework for living an engaged and liberated life in our rapidly evolving world.

During each session, students will gain an in-depth understanding of one of the fundamental principles of Evolutionary Enlightenment, and between sessions, participants will have the opportunity to explore these principles. The combination of intellectual grounding and real-world application enables students to powerfully participate in what they are studying—the evolution of our individual and collective consciousness.

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*BUDDHIST TEACHINGS ON TANTRA with Zasep Tulku Rinpoche

We are honoured to host Tibetan Buddhist Teacher - Zasep Tulku Rinpoche again in Toronto for one special evening in April. Zasep Rinpoche is an extraordinary teacher who is skilled in making the sublime teachings of Tibetan Vajrayana or Tantric Buddhism accessible for Westerners.

Various aspects of Buddhist and Hindu Tantra have entered into popular Western culture in the last few decades. Because there are so many misconceptions about the meaning and practice of Tantra, Rinpoche will introduce it from an authentic traditional Indo-Buddhist perspective. These powerfull esoteric practices, traditionally engaged within the context of a firm, experiential grounding in other foundational practices and a close relationship with a qualified Tantric Master, have (at least superficially) become readily available in the West. Certain aspects of Buddhist Tantra has become incorporated into New Age spirituality and other arenas far removed from their traditions of origin and context. Due to the nature of Tantra (also known as Secret Mantra),which is an exceptionally powerfull way of using the delusions as a path, identifying with the end results of one's spiritual practice in the present moment and working with one's subtle physiology, such open and non-contextualized exposure and practice has produced much misunderstanding and can actually be dangerous.

Zasep Rinpoche will offer an introduction to Buddhist Tantra and it's place within the larger picture of Buddhist training. This is an ideal introduction to Tibetan Buddhism, and will be of great interest to seasoned practitioners.

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*MAHAMUDRA
with LAMA GURSAM

In a rare Toronto appearance, Lama Gursam, a highly trained Buddhist Lama will give introductory teachings on Mahamudra, considered the essence of the Buddha's teachings. Mahamudra is a Buddhist method of direct introduction to the nature and essence of Mind or Buddha-nature and is believed to enable one to realize mind's innate purity, clarity and perfection, summed up by the term 'buddha nature'.

PET BLESSING
Trininty Bellwoods Park - south entrance.
Please bring your pet friends for a beautiful blessing ceremony and meditation for their wellbeing led by Lama Gursam. Blessed animal treats will be given out. This will be a fun afternoon for you, your family and all your pets.

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*JAPANESE ACUPUNCTURE TECHNIQUES
-Cultivate the art of being present
-Be able to sense qi without relying on your patients to feel it for you
-Give your patients relaxing and effective treatments using “roots and branches”
-Develop a refined touch that lets you sense “live points” in your patients and real-time progress during treatment
-Learn to use six position pulse diagnosis (five phases) for treatment
-Learn superficial insertion techniques for tonification and dispersion
And develop your palpation skills and ability

Japanese acupuncture needling techniques involve thinner/smaller needles and employ shallower insertions than Chinese acupuncture. Patients find that treatments are relaxing and cause minimal discomfort. Treatment is usually divided in to two different steps: Root and Local treatment methods. Root treatment seeks to address core energetic and structural imbalances in the patient. Local treatment addresses symptomatic relief of patient complaints. Once imbalances have been identified and corrected, the body’s self healing abilities are activated and it heals itself.

This hands-on course will offer an overview of different Japanese therapeutic models and symptom-control approaches and introduce a broad range of treatment techniques from Japan, including abdominal (hara) palpation and diagnosis, subtle needling techniques, painless needling, moxibustion, use of intradermals, press tacks, cups.

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*KIRTAN
Interactive Devotional Chanting presented by Kailash

Join us for an evening of interactive devotional chanting in the Hindu, Buddhist, and other wisdom traditions, as well as insightful stories and inspiring instruction. A "pretty voice" is not necessary to benefit from chanting, just a willingness to offer your heart and mind something sweeter and more uplifting to work with than your usual array of regrets, distractions, and fears.

Kailash a.ka. Dr. Kurt Broder has worked in higher education for many years, but has recently left academia to devote all of his energies to leading chant and spiritual teaching.

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*ZEN SHIATSU INTRODUCTORY TRAINING

SATURDAYS - 12pm - 5pm, Begins in January 2008
In this 6 week course, students:
-Learn the basic principles of Zen Shiatsu
-Gain practical skills in this ancient massage
-Learn how to give an effective Shiatsu Treatment
-Are introduced to Mindfulness Meditation, Tao Yin/Qi Gong

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*PATRUL RINPOCHE - Tibetan Buddhist Teacher

Patrul Rinpoche, an extraordinary Buddhist teacher and the current incarnation of the great 19th century Buddhist Master, Dza Patrul Rinpoche, will bestow the Throma Nagmo empowerment and give teachings on Chod practice. Throma Nagmo provides practitioners with an extremely powerful means to cut through clinging and the root of suffering, thus revealing our inherent wisdom nature.

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*THE ART & SCIENCE OF SITTING
with BARBARA WRIGHT GEORGE

Join us for these exciting classes exploring the art and science of sitting, mindfulness and awareness in meditation and in daily life.

Barbara Wright George will guide us through a variety of Awareness Through Movement©
Lessons, Conversations, and Meditations that encourage a sense of deep well-being, and at the same time, offer us a taste of the silence that is the aim of all meditation, and we all need in order to live the daily events in our lives more intelligently, and with less anxiety.

For information on ongoing Classes and Intensive Workshop please call/email.

Each class includes:
-Techniques to create pain-free, relaxed sitting
-Instruction on various forms of meditation -sitting, walking, standing, moving meditation and yoga
-Ways to be supported by the spine, in movement or in sitting
-Techniques for sitting comfortably, with vitality, lack of tension, and calm
*Each class will include time for practice as well as discussion and learning

BARBARA WRIGHT GEORGE
Barbara has over 40 years experience in various healing modalities and philosophies including meditation, Feldenkrais and Gurdjieff Work. Her work explores the relation of non-violent movement—and living—to the cessation of pain in the body and violence in the world.

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*DRAGONS DANCING IN CLOUDS
A MARTIAL ARTS INSPIRED PERFORMANCE

"Telling the legends through movement, music, poetry"

Sifu Chik Qadir Mason (Buffalo, N.Y.) and Spiritwind Internal Arts present an extraordinary evening of Movement, Music and Poetry

Come join us to experience the Legends of Tai Chi, Dragon and Tiger, Drunken and Monkey Forms, in a rare and fascinating performance by Sifu Chik and his students, Dylan Kirk, Mark Zhanghi, Nicole Earnest, KG Price, Fran Eagan, and Jason Pfaff.

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*AWARENESS THROUGH MOVEMENT
Learn to move with ease and comfort by exploring and discovering your body's innate sense of fluency and intelligence. Regain lost abilities and reduce physical strains. An Awareness Through Movement lesson is a guided movement class, a series of structured movement sequences emphasizing effortlessness as you explore and become aware of how you move. Improving: breathing, walking, lying, playing, dancing, posture, working, standing, exercising, thinking, focus, bending, flexibility, attention, sleeping, self-image

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*VOICE is PRESENCE
Join the Voice is Presence Workshop - Saturday May 20th, 10am -5pm
The Time is Now to give VOICE to your Truth, to share your UNIQUE Story, to remember the SOUND of YOUR birthright. Through Breath, Song, Story, Silence, Laughter, Pain and Joy, We Work and Play to Recall the Yearning Voice That Needs to be Heard

Michele George is a voice specialist in private practice as well as a singer and actor. She has worked with thousands of men and women, in private and group sessions and in large seminars, helping them find and express the most profound levels of their being through the voice. Her bestselling tapes Drink from the Well and River of Song, River of Life have reached many more. Along with Jungian analyst Marion Woodman, Michele leads mind/body workshops through the C. G. Jung Foundation in Toronto, Canada. She is also a founding member of Peter Brook's International Centre for Theatre Research in Paris, France. 416-586-9669 michele@michelegeorge.com www.michelegeorge.com

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*GUIDED SELF HEALING
An Innovative BodyMind Psychotherapy Technique that will open your mind to a new way of healing!

Guided Self Healing is a transformative healing approach in the field of Energy Psychology; an integration of traditional and body-centered psychotherapies, energy healing and spirituality. It allows one to work at a very deep level to resolve obstacles to living one’s full potential in life. It is based on the premise that the difficulties we commonly face are the reenactments or manifestations of stories (including patterns and beliefs) that are often found within the scope of traditional psychology as well as in the realm of energy psychology. Once we are guided to these stories and discover how we act in relationship to them, the Guided Self Healing process enables us to transform and permanently resolve these issues. Guided Self Healing is a technique that is both useful in professional therapeutic practice and as a tool for individual growth.Facilitator Andrew Hahn, Psy.D.
www.andrewhahn.com

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FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS
Join us for the 10th Annual Festival of Lights.

This universal worship service honours each of the traditional spiritual and religious paths, and is a wonderful way to celebrate this sacred and holy season.

In this season many faith groups use lights in their celebrations. In this interfaith service we will light a candle to each tradition, read from their sacred texts, and experience the deep spiritual essence of their music. In this dance of lights, we will each light our own candles, and have the opportunity to experience and join in the chants of each tradition. Refreshments to follow.

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